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Jackets' Tenuta going for Ohio job

ATLANTA - Georgia Tech may be on the verge of losing defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta.

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Tenuta interviewed for the football coaching job at Ohio University, several independent sources said Tuesday. Dave Braine, Georgia Tech's athletic director, confirmed the information when reached for comment.

Tenuta was among nearly a dozen candidates to interview at a Columbus, Ohio, hotel on Sunday, according to sources. Former Nebraska coach Frank Solich interviewed as well.

The field will be narrowed to a handful of finalists later this week.

Tenuta did not return calls to his office Tuesday.

Braine spoke highly of Tenuta on Tuesday. He has known Tenuta for more than 20 years, having coached him as a player at Virginia in the late-1970s.

"Jon's going to be a good head coach someday," Braine said. "I would hate to lose him, but a head coach is what every great young assistant coach aspires to be one day."

Ohio, which is located in Athens, Ohio, competes in the Mid-American Conference. Tenuta grew up less than two hours away in Columbus, where his mother still lives.

The Ohio job has been vacant since the school fired Brian Knorr last month. Knorr posted four losing seasons in his four years as coach. He was promoted from defensive coordinator in 2001, when Jim Grobe left for Wake Forest.

Tom Boeh, Ohio's athletic director, did not return phone calls Tuesday regarding the coaching search. He did outline his ideal candidate during a press conference last month.

"It's difficult to put your finger on exactly why we haven't been successful on the scoreboard as we hoped to be," Boeh said on Nov. 18. "That's why we're hiring a new head football coach, to figure those things out and determine what it is within the program that needs to be adjusted so we'll be more competitive."

Tech's defense has been dominant under Tenuta.

The Jackets ranked among the top-20 defenses in the nation the last two seasons. They allowed 299.5 yards per game this season while starting just one senior.

Tenuta has served as a defensive coordinator for five college teams during his coaching career. He's spent the past three years at Georgia Tech.